Nickelback “Photograph” released

Photograph Nickelback

Writer(s): Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake, Daniel Adair (see lyrics here) Released: August 8, 2005 First Charted: August 20, 2005 Peak: 2 BB, 11 DG, 3 RR, 16 AC, 118 A40, 17 AR, 3 MR, 18 UK, 3 CN, 3 AU, 14 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 0.6 UK, 2.69 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.50 radio, 360.80 video, 377.58 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Poor Nickelback. They’ve become the punching bag of rock and roll in the 21st century. Sure, they aren’t exactly the equivalent of Beethoven, but it’s hard to grasp how a band who’ve sold more than 40 million albums have been ridiculed like they were a flash-in-the-pan one-hit wonder. The band was formed in 1995 by the Kroeger brothers Chad (vocals, guitar) and Mike (bass) with their cousin Brandon (drums) and Ryan Peake (rhythm guitar). The band cycled through a few drummers before Daniel Adair landed the job in 2005. The group landed a #1 hit with “How You Remind Me” from their third album, 2001’s Silver Side Up. Their next album, 2003’s The Long Road, gaven them another top-10 hit. Their commercial peak, however, came in 2005. The band exploded in 2005 with their fifth album, All the Right Reasons. it sold 18 million copies worldwide and gave the band three more top-10 hits with “Photograph,” “Far Away,” and “Rockstar.” The song “is about reviewing the memories - missed and forgotten - from the band's childhood in Hanna, Alberta. The lyrics are a chronicle of real events and personal landmarks lead singer Chad Kroeger recalled as he wrote it.” SF He said, “It’s just nostalgia, growing up in a small town, and you can’t go back to your childhood. Saying goodbye to friends that you’ve drifted away from, where you grew up, where you went to school, who you hung out with and the dumb stuff you used to do as a kid, the first love – all of those things. Everyone has one or two of those memories that they are fond of, so this song is really just the bridge for all that.” WK The video was shot in Hanna, Alberta, with the band revisiting old stomping grounds. The photograph which Chad holds up in the video was the inspiration for the song. The picture is of him and Joey Moi, the band’s producer, at a New Year’s Eve party. In the song he says, “What the hell’s on Joey’s head?” It’s a chiller for champagne. SF The shot of Chad holding up the photo has become a meme with people substituting other images in the photograph. Resources: SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 1/27/2026.